Help us make carol concert best yet, says proud Aidan
ATEENAGER from Widnes who made it to the last four North West finalists for the Pride Of Britain Awards is looking for support for his latest fundraising challenge.
Aidan Jackson, 16, has Aspergers but this hasn’t stopped him from fundraising since the age of 12 and his current fundraising challenge is for community defibrillators in the Widnes area.
Each defibrillator will be in a coded case to protect it against vandalism and misuse. For each defibrillator and coded case it costs between £1,500 and £2,000. So far Aidan has raised over £700 for the first one, but still has a long way to go to reach the whole Widnes area. As much support from local businesses and the community as possible is needed to make Aidan’s mission a success.
Aidan is holding his third annual Christmas Carol Concert fundraiser in the garden of his home in Francis Close on December 22 to help raise funds.
Singers from Victoria Music Ltd and Warrington British Sign Language Choir, princesses from Princess Parties and Santa will all be at the event to provide entertainment.
Aidan told the Weekly News: “My mum has a saying that she always tells us ‘do something every day that you are proud of’ and when my friend Olivia Alice Walker sadly passed away aged just 15 years her family wanted to set up a foundation in her memory to help other children young adults with complex medical needs, I decided to help raise as much money as I could in Olivia’s memory.”
On top of all his fundraising work, Aidan, who has previously been awarded a Points Of Light award, has recently started at Cronton College so has to find the balance between the two, saying: “To be honest it can be a struggle.’’
Aidan’s advice for anyone who wants to start their own fundraising is simple. He said: “Don’t let anybody tell you that your goal ● A previous festive fundraiser at the house
can’t be achieved. Stay positive and even when it might seem that the end goal is out of reach just keep going.
‘‘A few days before my teddy bear event at the Select stadium we were only half way there with the amount of teddies we needed, we didn’t give up and teddies were still being brought to the stadium on the day. It can be achieved.
‘‘If anybody would like to get involved with one of my challenges so that they can get a feeling for the work involved etc then please get in touch.”
However, fundraising is not the biggest challenge for Aidan.
He said: “Completing my fundraising challenges is easier and less stressful than the challenges I face daily – overcoming challenges linked to Aspergers etc are extremely difficult but people wouldn’t sponsor you for getting a bus to college or walking into a classroom or dining hall.” ●
Both Aidan and his mum hope h that over time people will w understand how difficult life li can be for people with hidden d disabilities. He has raised money for many charities and good causes over the years as he want to help as many people as he can.
He is in need of help from area a businesses and people who can provide portable toilets, large tins of hot chocolate, bottles of mulled wine, sausages, hot dog rolls, tins of chocolates, small gifts for younger visitors, raffle prizes and a real Christmas tree to hang Christmas messages on.
He’s also looking for outdoor lights, a face painter and live reindeer to make the event more magical. He also wants to offer stall holders the opportunity to attend. Anyone who thinks they can help can get in contact with Aidan.
Food and drinks will be available and is planned with families in mind. All that is asked is that people make a donation on the night.
The event is on December 22 at Francis Close, between 5.30pm and 8.30pm.
To support Aidan’s fundraising but cannot attend, donate at www. justgiving. com/ crowdfunding/ aidan-jacksoncommunitydefibrillator-1/